Browsing: Reports

Evidence suggests that there are ways to minimize the risk of non-appearance while avoiding unnecessary detention of defendants.

Study says the law mandating use of renewable energy is costing Wisconsinites hundreds of millions of dollars.

Many children are still all too often denied their right to an appropriate education and recognition as individuals given a fair chance of leading productive and fulfilling lives.

Report assesses a critical juncture in the future of Milwaukee as a city, namely, the fate of its sizable manufacturing sector within the city’s diversifying economy.

The adverse consequences of adding to supply when demand is saturated are real.

The statewide, uniform use of value-added analyses already being done in Wisconsin is a step toward giving teachers and principals additional tools to meet the needs of Wisconsin pupils.

Report recounts the history of the recall amendment in Wisconsin and explains how utilization of the recall in practice diverts substantially from the original intent of the provision’s drafters.

Investment in young children supports economic development by boosting the long-run productivity of the labor force and reducing public costs.

Wisconsin’s teacher compensation system is outdated, out-of-touch, and not designed to attract and retain top talent.

Based on a 30-year program of reconstruction and assuming moderate toll rates comparable to those on other toll road systems, the study estimates that the entire rural Interstate program could be financed by toll revenue bonds.

MPS has a fundamental lack of focus. Instilling accountability will require a structural and cultural transformation similar to the one the Milwaukee Police Department has undergone — one that revolves around measurable objectives.

As critical as competition is in our lives and in the unprecedented success of our country, few of us understand the first thing about it. We don’t know its origins, why it pushes us forward, why some people are more competitive than others or why artificial constraints on competition will stifle an entire population.

The result of antiquated management practices has often been failure of state government to control costs and operate efficiently, according to the study.

In the academic programs of Wisconsin’s public schools, economics and personal finance have a weak presence. Despite the obvious importance of the subject matter, relatively few students take courses in economics or personal finance, relatively few teachers are qualified to teach such courses, and educators generally do not see the situation as problematic.

Study assesses the condition and 10-year needs of Wisconsin’s State Highway System. It estimates the costs of addressing deficiencies, adding new or expanded facilities, bringing the system up to prudent standards, maintenance and administration.

It has been 10 years since Wisconsin overhauled an old set of rules for state teacher licensure (PI 3 and PI 4) and replaced it with a new set called PI 34. This report assesses PI 34 in an effort to learn whether it has made good on its high expectations.

Wisconsin has much to gain by enacting a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority to raise taxes and fees. Its citizens would be further insulated from a government all too willing to fix deficits with rate increases, and its legislators would need to learn to balance budgets through more sustainable measures.

Encouraging dialogue between universities and their constituents in business, industry, agriculture and general citizenry can focus the educational process on needs.

A Special Report: We sent historian John Gurda across the state to size up where Wisconsin is today, what it is thinking and what it wants.

The recent fiscal challenges facing Wisconsin state and local governments have caused a serious re-evaluation of all aspects of government spending. Yet little attention has been given to the cost of providing pensions to public employees.